This is one of the most popular questions amongst my students: Marc, what is the top thing most aspiring consultants have to learn during their first weeks on the job? And while there is not the one only answer, one of those thing will definitely be this one: Being able Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 36: MBB or boutique firm Many graduates are very unsure about which consulting firm fits best to them. Many of our clients receive numerous offers from different consulting firms and it can be quiet difficult to decide for one firm in the end. One major component you Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 35: Weaknesses Preparing for your interviews in management consulting? Well you should be prepared to talk about your strengths but also weaknesses. This is an absolute standard question in every consulting interview and actually also in most other non-consulting interviews. While explaining your strengths will be easy Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 34: Specialization in consulting One important question I get asked a lot is about specialization: When is the perfect moment to specialize in a certain field as a consultant? What should I specialize in at a top management consulting firm? Although this is a topic that is Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 33: Getting into consulting Getting into top consulting firms isn’t an easy path. It will require you to succeed in a 2-step approach, with two very different sets of capabilities you need to master. First: Your Application It will be your entry card to get invited to Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned No. 32: Call if urgent Many new hires in management consulting are unsure about how to communicate with their clients and colleagues. You don’t want to get on other people’s nerves – especially not your client. The problem: Consulting is quiet a dynamic workplace. You will need Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned No. 31: The perfect first project In management consulting, no two projects are alike. Projects can differ in terms of size, topic, industry, client, team, duration and so much more… But how does your perfect first project look like? First: The bigger the team the better! This Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 30: Optimizing weekends Many consulting new-hires underestimate the impact of their job start on their leisure time. It was the same for me: As a student, I was used to do “annoying” household tasks like washing clothes, cleaning my apartment, or going grocery shopping during the workweek. Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 29: Understanding pressure When working in consulting, the pressure you experience on the job will often look very much like a sine-curve. A constant change between very busy, high-pressure situations, followed by a certain “relieve” phase. Some junior consultants start to feel not self-determined enough in these Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 28: Pushing back When starting at a top consulting firm, many people will tell you how important it is to also give push-back. Back when I started as a fresh new-hire associate, I was working endless night shifts. Colleagues often told me, that I should just “push-back” Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 27: The golden handcuffs dilemma This lessons learned is not so much about how to perform great on the job, but rather about your own financial mindset as a consultant. Let’s get this straight right at the beginning: As a consultant, chances are pretty high you have Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 25: Associate tasks You just graduated and will join a consulting firm as an Associate? You might be wondering: What are typical tasks you must solve in your first year as a management consultant? Starting in consulting will be very different from everything you might know from Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 24: Travel with a separate set of toiletries Traveling every week, will also require you to pack your bag every weekend. You will laugh, but many young consultants quickly spend an hour just packing their stuff on a Sunday evening. One easy efficiency hack: Buy a separate Read more…
Have you ever wondered about which apps you should install on your iPhone and iPad to make your life easier as a management consultant? Here is a selection of the most commonly used apps you should look out for to support your travels, productivity, networking and health. 1) Travel Airlines Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 23: Just working hard isn’t enough Many aspiring management consultants believe that working incredible long hours is the solution to everything. You get the impression your project manager is unhappy with your work? Just work a little harder. You want to get an early promotion? Just work Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 22: Asking questions You will often work together with your whole project team in the same room all day long. This leads to a phenomenon I like to call the “solution proximity” dilemma. What does that mean? As an intern or new-hire consultant you will have new Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 21: Consulting efficiency hacks Besides reaching very high quality levels, efficient working should be one of your top targets as a junior consultant. One important aspect of efficient working are personal routines. These become especially relevant because you will have to work in new environments constantly. Therefore, Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 20: Early bird vs. Night owl Consulting is not a 9-to-5 job. In the end, you will have to choose, whether to get up extra early or staying up late in the evening to complete your daily work package. But what is the best strategy here? First, Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 19: Always be ready to step up When working together with your boss, I strongly recommend following the 0,5 steps behind strategy. What does that mean? Always be half a step behind your boss! Basically, this means two things: You should do everything you can to make Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 18: Doing sport as a management consultant You are used to playing in your local soccer team? With your new job as a management consultant, it will be much tougher to participate. Traveling to clients every week and working long hours create some challenges when trying to Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 17: Storing luggage at the hotel Traveling every week with just your small cabin luggage can be a problem sometimes. It only fits when focusing on the basics. As soon as you want to bring running shoes or some extra item, your cabin luggage won’t be enough. Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 16: Use scenarios to reduce complexity Let’s say you are calculating a business case. Usually, there will be a bunch of options you would like to take into consideration: Closing plant A or B? Reducing or increasing product portfolio? and so on… Of course you could build Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 15: Setting deadlines You need something urgent? Set a deadline! Just because you are used to replying to emails within 24 hours doesn’t mean that your couterparts do the same. Here is a very typical situation every junior consultant experiences at least a few times: Your project Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 14: Confirm important input in writing As a consultant, you will regularly have to work with input from your client or other experts. You often receive this input verbally during joint meetings or phone calls. The problem is: Especially in these cases, using this input can cause Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 13: When to send minutes Writing meeting minutes is a regular task, especially for junior consultants. However, don’t underestimate the importance of writing minutes! Here are the two key situations, when you should start to write minutes proactively: 1) Basically, whenever you have a meeting with the Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 12: Working late at night As a consultant you will often have to work long hours. Here are my top 3 tips for working late at night: 1) No food after 9pm When you work past midnight, you will often get hungry again. I advise against midnight Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 11: So what? Today’s lessons learned will be about one of the most important lessons for most junior consultants: Always ask the “so what” question! As a junior consultant, you will often work on highly operational tasks, like an excel analysis or a client interview. You will Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 10: Receiving Mail in the office As a consultant, you will spend a lot of time of the week on your client’s site. So what to do, if you want to order something online or are waiting for an important letter? You probably know this situation from Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 9: Use screen protectors Imagine this situation: You’re sitting in the train on the way back home from your client and work on your open todos from the week. Have you ever thought how many people are able to see the content on your screen at that Read more…
Consulting Lessons Learned 8: Meals should be non-negotiable Your daily life as a consultant and especially the days you spend on your client’s site can be super busy. You run from one meeting to another and have to conduct analyses and meeting preparations in-between. Especially more senior consultants often tend Read more…